Cross Country: Jeevaneesh Soundararajah sets new course record as Hwa Chong end Rafflesian dominance to win first A Div title since 2007

“It was a good race, and I really gave it my best shot,” Eugene later commented.

“I wouldn’t be able to get where I am today without the wonderful supporters from Victoria School and Victoria Junior College, my fellow teammates, my inspiring coaches, the old boys of Victoria who have been so forthcoming in sharing with us their own experiences, and most of all, my parents, who have always been there for me in my times of need,” he continued.

Zorndrix Dass of Anglo-Chinese Junior College ran the best race of his life on the national schools stage to finish in a career-high fourth position, and Wilbert Ho caused a few worries among the Hwa Chong supporters when he finished in fifth place to put Raffles in a strong position.

However, any hopes RI had of claiming their fourth title in succession were quickly dashed, as Teng Jian Hong, Chin Joo Ern, Yeo Si Heng and Mun Yong Liang finished 7th, 9th, 10th, and 12th respectively in quick succession, meaning that five Hwa Chong runners had now come in before Raffles’ third runner. Lee Guan Lin and Tay Yi Yan fought hard down the finishing stretch, coming in 13th and 16th, but it was too little, too late for Raffles.

As a jubilant Hwa Chong team basked in the glory of their latest triumph, team captain Yeo Si Heng took some time off the team’s celebrations to give his take on how things worked out for them.

“We lost the Singapore Athletics Association Cross Country Championships and Wings Cross Country Championships to RI earlier in the year, but thankfully we managed to peak in time for the national schools championships,” said Si Heng.

“As compared to last year, the motivation and confidence of the team was a lot better, and we were more united as a team this year as well. We also got too caught up in worrying about counting our positions during the race last year, and were determined not to make the same mistake this year. This time, the game plan was that we each focus on our own individual race. It was less complicated and we all performed better, leading to a better overall team score as a result,” he added.

“The greatest factor in our success would be our coach, Mr Rameshon, who has pushed us beyond our limits at training for the past six months, and helped us to improve far beyond what we thought possible. He has also engrained in us the love of running, and I think that many of us will continue to make running a part of our lifestyle even after our days in the national schools sports scene come to an end.”

Raffles Institution had beaten Hwa Chong twice in as many races prior to this year’s nationals, but had to settle for silver this time round. Benjamin shared that he had “mixed feelings” on the race, feeling happy about his individual performance, but sad that the team had not won.

“What mattered more to me today was the team’s performance. This was my first ever cross country season, and through the many tough training sessions we endured together as a team, as well as all the fun and happy times we shared, we have bonded as a close knit of friends extremely well. Unfortunately, a fairy-tale ending was not to be, but the memories of my one and only season in Raffles Cross Country will remain etched in my mind for many years to come, and I wish to thank our coach Mr Steven Quek and teacher-in-charge Mr Tay Meng Kiat for making this an incredible journey for all of us,” an emotional Benjamin commented.

With the cross country season over, many of the cross country athletes will now look to help out their track and field teams in the upcoming National Schools Track and Field Championships.

“Hwa Chong has a good chance to win the Track and Field title this year, and our cross country team will do our best to support them,” Si Heng declared.

Si Heng will take part in the 5000m and the 3000m steeplechase track events. The steeplechase looks to be exciting as Si Heng, the A Division boys silver medalist in the 3000m steeplechase last year, will go head to head with the reigning champion Eugene from VJC.

Jeevaneesh, meanwhile, will take part in the 5000m and the 1500m. In the latter, he is the defending champion, but will encounter ACS(I)’s Zachary Ryan Devaraj, the reigning B Division champion who also beat Jeeva to the B boys 1500m gold medal in 2009. Zachary only finished 11th at the cross country championships, with a time of 15:54.56 — almost a full minute behind Jeeva, but it is the middle distances where Zach’s strength lies. Zach’s participation record in the 1500m reads four wins from four starts, with him having won every national schools 1500m race he has taken part in since his debut in 2007, as a Secondary 1 student.

So, will Hwa Chong’s cross country team form the nucleus for a successful assault on Raffles’ track and field title? Will Eugene defend his steeplechase title against Si Heng, as well as a host of other hungry challengers? And will newly-crowned cross country champion Jeeva figure out a way to finally end Zach’s winning streak in the 1500m event? Come the track and field championships in April, we shall undoubtedly see even more action coming from the fittest schoolboys in our nation.

Download full A Division Boys individual results here
Download full A Division Boys team results here

Download full B Division Boys individual results here
Download full B Division Boys team results here

Download full C Division Boys individual results here
Download full C Division Boys team results here